MAJOR NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ DAYBREAK AND FULL MOON YET, STOP NOW! This won't make much sense if you haven't read them, this is book 3 of the Saga. Daybreak-book 1, Full Moon-book 2, Dark Sun-book 3.

Twilight does not belong to me. Wish it did though.

It has been brought to my attention that the way I was showing someone's thoughts was wrong. So from now on, the thoughts will only be in italics, no quotation marks. Both thoughts will now be in italics as well, ie: when they kiss. Thank you octoberland for proofreading this and showing me the errors of my ways. ^_^

Don't forget. The * means there's a picture included on my profile.

Chapter 1: Imprint

To say I was euphoric would be an understatement. What I was feeling was so much more blissful, more concrete, and more permanent than that. After Edward and I became one, when we mated – that word still sounded strange to me at times – our connection became solid, unbreakable, and eternal. Our bond was comparable to the wolves imprinting but stronger, since vampires live forever their love has to withstand time. When a wolf imprints, he still loses his imprint to old age. I, on the other hand have to become a vampire in order to save everybody that knew me.

Everywhere Edward touched on my body it sent my senses careening out of control and my skin burned with each icy feather soft stroke of his fingers. My body was smoldering so much I could actually smell myself burning. The burning was particularly strong this morning and I couldn't understand why.

My eyes snapped open suddenly and I sat up in a flash. All I needed was one good whiff of the air around me and Brontë whimpering on the floor to know something was wrong. I sprang to my feet and quickly threw on some proper clothes then fled from my room.

"DAD?" I practically flew down the stairs in search of my father. Thanks to my recent dose of Vitamin V also known as venom or vampire, my agility was equal to that of my vampire family and I had no fear of falling down, for once.

"In here Bells," his voice was excessively too chipper for someone burning down the kitchen.

Once I hit the bottom of the stairs, I ran for the kitchen and immediately started choking on the thick smoke that filled the small room. "God Dad, you might like burnt offerings for breakfast, but I don't," my voice was raspy, as the smoke passed unwanted down my throat. I went to the kitchen side door and flung it open, letting the smoky air and Brontë outside.

Hey, I'm trying! Not everyone can be a five star chef the second they're born, he sniped as I walked over to the stove to rescue what was left of the bacon.

"Why were you even trying in the first place?" I asked as I moved the blackened bacon around in the frying pan, sighing unhappily at the now charred pig.

"You seemed tired after our talk last night. I figured I'd let you sleep in and surprise you with breakfast," he sighed as he looked at the overdone bacon and the runny eggs in the pan next to the bacon. I think I failed.

"No, you succeeded. I was surprised. It's not every morning I wake to the thought that the house is burning down," I teased him and his chin hit his chest as he let out another sigh. I did my best to save breakfast but it was a lost cause and we ended up eating cereal.

"Don't forget I'm going over to the Cullens today."

How can I forget? You and Edward are practically joined at the hip! he scoffed internally at his little tirade and I couldn't help but snicker. If he only knew, the hips weren't the only thing connecting us – dear old dad would have a heart attack. He suddenly looked panicked and stopped mid-bite when he heard me snicker. "Damn it Bella, let me know when you're listening to my thoughts."

Forget the snicker, I flat out was laughing now. "Dad, it's not something I can really turn on or off. The more comfortable I am with a person the easier it is to hear them, even when I'm trying to block."

"Oh…" We then went back to eating our cereal in silence. "Oh…I'll take Brontë to the lake with me today if you like?" All I could think to do was smile and nod, surprised that he wanted to take Brontë at all. She was my dog hence my responsibility, yet here he was, talking about taking her for the day.

As soon as I finished washing the dishes there was a knock on the door. I didn't need to answer it to know who was knocking so I sprinted into the living room and retrieved my jacket. "Bye dad, be back later," I shouted and he replied with a grumble.

I flung the door open and the most wonderful sight I could imagine greeted me. Orbs of onyx stared lustfully down at me and a pale white hand stroked the soft fur that rested on top of Brontë's head. Suddenly both hands reached out and pulled me toward the marble statue before me and said statue assaulted me with his lips on mine.

Oh god, three hours is just too long to be away from you.

You did hunt correct, your eyes can't tell me at the moment.

He growled against my lips. Of course I hunted. Quickly so I could get back to ravishing the love of my existence. His tongue then traced my lips and I opened my mouth eagerly, wanting more of him. How does the afternoon in our meadow sound?

Perfect!

Within a few short minutes, after ushering Brontë back inside, we were on our way to our special spot in the Volvo.

"Tomorrow, we take my truck!" I demanded firmly, Edward simply nodded in agreement while smiling crookedly.

As we drove to the turn off for our meadow, I reflected over the intense conversation the three of us had last night.

Edward and I sat on the couch. Waiting for Charlie to return from work, his dinner was heating in the oven just in case our talk went sour. I sat on the couch when my leg started twitching nervously and my teeth went to biting my lip upon hearing the cruiser pulling into the driveway. Edward pressed his hand firmly on top of my knee, stilling the bouncing. Then he leaned over and released my lip from between my teeth using his own mouth, then kissed me sweetly.

It will be alright, relax.

"Oh, hi kids. What's going on?" he asked naturally, as he walked through the front door.

"We would like to talk to you," Edward said firmly then smiled and winked at me. "We have some incredible news to tell you."

"Not just good news…but incredible news?" Charlie growled as he slowly walked over to his chair and sat down, placing his police issue .9mm on the side table then sat up straight. He stared at me then his eyes darted to my flat stomach. What was he…?

Is her belly getting bigger?

"Oh god, no…I'm not pregnant!" I shouted at his preconceived notion. "Now stay calm, everything is great, nothing to worry about." Edward winced and looked downhearted as I said the word great. I'm positive he would have preferred the adjectives magnificent, perfect, or splendid.

"Right, sure it's great. If things are so great, then why do you look like you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar?" His eyes narrowed as he stared at me. You're guilty about something.

"I do not look like I got caught in the cookie jar and I'm not guilty of anything!" I snapped rather quickly then diverted my eyes over to Edward.

"Your actions would imply otherwise. I'm a cop remember, I notice these things." Edward smirked when Charlie turned a critical eye on him then back to me. "So, you're not pregnant?" You had better not be on drugs or have an STD. If that was the case Edward will be dead.

I saw his fingers twitch slightly and his hand slid minutely toward the gun on the side table. I frantically shook my head no. "Definitely not pregnant and absolutely no drugs or STDs either!" I glared at Edward when I heard a small chuckle. I told him this would happen. In this century, what other reason do teens have for getting married so young? He had said two words earlier for his answer. For love.

If it's not drugs or pregnancy than what could it be…?

He continued to examine my face, looking for the smallest hint that I was lying. Didn't he know by now that I sucked at lying? The room fell silent and it made me a bit uneasy. I glanced around and saw both men were gazing at me, waiting for me to say something. Was he kidding? There was no way I was going to be able to explain our news.

Edward sat up straighter and faced my father. "Charlie, I'm sorry, but we're doing things a bit out of order. Bella has already agreed, so instead of asking for permission, I'll ask for your blessing instead. We're getting married! I can't begin to explain the depths of my love for your daughter because it's infinite. There isn't anything in the world I wouldn't give up for her if it made her happy. Honestly, it's a miracle that she loves me so deeply considering what happened last year. Will you please give us your blessing?"

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Charlie's face. He was now staring daggers at the ring on my left hand and his face turned red, then changed to purple, then to blue. I moved to stand up so I could check on him but Edward squeezed my hand and I remained seated. The room was completely silent and unnerving. Slowly, Charlie's coloring returned to normal, he pursed his lips and his eyebrows dropped. It was his deep-in-thought look and I felt like a five year old again as he examined us.

It's a bit earlier than I would have preferred but I don't think she could have done better than Edward. "I should have known," Charlie mumbled. "I knew eventually this day would come, I just wished it would be another thirty odd years."

A sigh of relief left me.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Charlie asked sharply, glaring at me intently. He isn't forcing you into this is he?

"I'm two hundred and fifty percent sure that I'm meant to be with Edward and no he isn't forcing me," I stated firmly, without any hesitation.

"But what's the rush to get married? Why not wait a few years?" There was suspicion in his eyes again and they darted to my stomach for a split second. Maybe she really is pregnant…

We couldn't explain the reasons for the hasty wedding to Charlie. As the seconds ticked by, I was getting closer to nineteen. While Edward would forever stay seventeen – which meant I was already the older woman and there was the matter of the Volturi to worry about.

"Since we're going to Dartmouth in the Fall, I'd like to do things right," Edward told Charlie coolly then shrugged. "I'm old fashioned, that's how I was raised. A man and a woman need to be married before they can live together." He wasn't exaggerating – old-fashioned morals and respect was a big thing during the early 1900's.

Charlie's mouth contorted and he tilted his head slightly to the side, most likely looking for a position to argue. What could he say: just live in sin until you're out of college? Yeah right, he was a father; he couldn't say something like that. He sighed then his face turned blank. I hated it when his mind went blank.

Much to my surprise Charlie exploded into laughter. "Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Renée will fix this. I stared disbelievingly at Charlie as he double over from laughing so hard. I shot a hopeful look at Edward. However, he looked as if he was trying to avoid laughing as well.

"Fine, get married. Go for it," Charlie choked out as another wave of laughter hit him. "But you have to tell your mom! My lips are sealed. You get the privilege of telling her." He then went right back to his laughing.

Of course, Charlie would give me the task of telling my mother that I was getting married. An early marriage spelled disaster in her book and was at the top of her blacklist. No one could have guessed what her response would be. I definitely didn't. I knew Charlie didn't. I should have asked Alice but it never crossed my mind until after.

"Well it's about time you told me! The cost of plane tickets have gone up you know," she seemed frantic and it sounded like she was flipping through some papers as she spoke to me over the phone. "I hope Phil's cast will be off by then? It would look so odd if he was the only one not in a tux-"

"Whoa, whoa…back up. What do you mean it's about time? I just got engaged, Edward just asked me..." I was having a difficult time getting the correct words out. "It just happened recently."

"Really? I thought…"

"What do you mean you thought? Thought what?"

"Well when you visited in the spring, I thought you were already engaged. You're extremely easy to read and with the way you were talking, I just assumed. I didn't say anything. I wanted to wait until you were ready." She then sighed loudly. "You're exactly like your father. Once you've made up your mind, you stick to it and no amount of arguing or persuading will work on you."

"Edward says I'm stubborn that way."

"Bella, you sound terrified. Are you scared of what I was going to think? You're not me, you're not going to make my mistakes, you're going to make your own," she giggled. "You have no reason to be scared. When I talked about marriage and stupidity, I was referring to myself. Don't get me wrong, I still think marrying right out of high school is a bad idea, but you're a completely different person than I am. You're bound to make your own mistakes in life; I just hope you'll learn from them. You've never had a problem with the issue of commitment – when you start something, you see it through until the end. I'd bet good money that you and Edward will work out fine – better even than most forty year olds I know." Her giggle this time was louder and more vigorous. "My little thirty-five-year-old child. I'm glad it appears that you've found another old soul and he seems to be your soulmate."

"So you're not mad at me?"

"No, I'm not mad. I just wish you'd wait a little longer. I'm not old enough to be a mother-in-law and nowhere near old enough to be a grandmother. However, this is your decision, it's a big one but it belongs entirely to you. Does he make you happy, sweetie?" she chuckled softly.

"Yes, of course."

"Is there a possibility that you are ever going to want anyone else?"

"Never, but aren't you going to yell at me for sounding exactly like every other infatuated teenager out there? That I'm too young."

"You've never been a teenager and you know it. You know what's best for you and I trust your decisions."

I was surprised how easy it was for me to tell my mom about the impending wedding and the weight on my shoulders unburdened me immediately.

My mother then immersed herself in plans for the wedding: what to pack, when she should be here, how she could help. Since she spent hours last night talking to Esme on the phone it was obvious I didn't have to worry about feuding in-laws.

Edward informed me last night that Esme had been on the phone with Renée until midnight, just before he left to join me for the night. I was so deep in thought I hadn't even realized we had arrived at the trailhead to our meadow until the Volvo shut off.

Before I could blink, Edward was opening my door and pulling me from the car. Without warning or question, he practically threw me onto his back and took off through the trees.

"Damn, Edward…eager much?" I pressed my eyes closed tightly and waited for the wind to stop whizzing through my hair.

"Always," he stated confidently and his hands that were on my knees squeezed tighter.

"Pervert!" I mumbled into his shirt just below his hair.

"Only recently," he chuckled as we came to a complete stop, most likely because we were at the meadow. I slowly opened my eyes to see the beautiful waterfall, the white and purple flowers, and tiny dancing lights compliments of the sun beaming off Edward's skin.

Edward let me slide down his back and he groaned as I did so. After only being intimate two times – twice yesterday in the meadow – he's already a complete pervert. I walked to the center and stretched my arms outward then started slowly spinning in a circle with my eyes closed.

"Love, what are you doing?" he chuckled and I heard the grass crunching under his feet as he approached me.

"Enjoying my renewed elegance and agility," I stopped, my arms wrapping around my waist slightly from the abrupt halt of spinning. I stared directly at him, transfixed with his diamond skin and the endearing smile on his delicious lips. He strolled up to me and firmly took my hips in his hands and pulled me into him.

"You are insanely beautiful when you're happy and smiling," He bent down and lavished several kisses on my neck, causing me to moan and squirm. I felt his lips curl into a smile against my sensitive flesh and then he inhaled sharply. "You know, a vampire can tell the second his partner becomes aroused. Your scent gives you away all too easily."

I pulled away from him then scowled before falling to the ground and proceeded to cross my arms over my chest. The feel of chilly fingers over my waist caused me to stiffen then his hand slowly trailed around my stomach and meandered down to my thighs. I bit my lip to stave off my growing arousal but I feared I was failing miserably.

"Do you smell what I smell…?" Edward sang into my ear and I immediately saw red.

With my newfound speed and grace, I scooted across the grass to a nearby boulder and leapt behind it. Edward stared with wide obsidian eyes, shock evident on his face. "Hey, what the…"

Violently, I shook my head as Edward started to crawl over the grass toward me. "You stay over there till you learn to not act like Emmett." His jaw dropped to the ground and his eyes instantly returned to gold and dilated. He went immobile as he continued to stare at me, probably hoping I would waver in my command.

He then leaned back on his haunches then sat down crossed legged, eyes inspecting me attentively for a moment before they closed leisurely. Okay, I didn't expect him to do that. Slowly, I crawled from behind the rock and cautiously inched toward him. Once I was close enough to touch, I stretched out my hand and gently touched his cheek. No response. This was something new. Usually he's all over me, nearly begging for my attentions – which he always had to begin with. However, this silent statue treatment was disturbing.

I inched closer to him, to the point that I was almost in his lap. I placed both palms on his cheeks and held his face firmly. Still no response. Annoyed, I huffed loudly and sat back on my folded legs then glanced around the meadow, bored. Had my request about him not acting like Emmett been so horrible that he had to shut down on me?

"Edwa-" before I could even finish saying his name Edward sprang at me, forcing me to the ground with my arms held above my head by his strong hands. His lips instantly found my neck and they started to suck, nip and tug at the tender flesh. I started to wiggle beneath him, fighting to free my hands so I could run them through his hair. No matter how much I fought or pleaded, his hold wouldn't slacken in the slightest.

His chilling yet scorching tongue traveled down my neck and started to tease at my collarbone then he slowly moved lower, kissing just above my shirt. The hand that wasn't holding my wrists trailed along the hem of my shirt and started to tug it upwards. By now he had me moaning, twisting and wriggling, trying my hardest to get free before I spontaneously combusted.

God, he knew just what to do to drive me insane and my body wild. He played my body perfectly, like he did his piano and I was so in tune to his fingers as they glided over me. I tried my hardest to stay focused. I didn't want to give in to him just yet, I wanted to draw this out a bit longer – really feel and enjoy. Yesterday was just a case of two sexually charged bodies finally coming together. I was so caught up in the sensations I hadn't really noticed what it was he was doing when he did it, but now I wanted to recognize the sensations this time around.

I threw my head back and arched my back toward the sky when his cold tongue traced around my belly button then licked a trail toward my right breast. The moaning and groaning was the only thing I could hear in the meadow – that is, until a low rumbling hum started.

"Edward, how come yesterday when we were making love you didn't purr?" I asked curiously. He shot his head away from my neck suddenly and stared down at me like I had sprout two more heads on my shoulder, then he started to chuckle.

He buried his face in my neck and continued to laugh. "Bella, Bella, Bella…" He then leaned up on his elbows, propped on either side of my head. "I knew you were really into the moment but I hadn't realized you didn't notice I was indeed purring. Purring up a storm as you would call it."

Had I been so lost in passion that I had missed the sweet rumbling sound of him purring? Talk about embarrassing.

"I was curious about something else from yesterday." Edward instantly stilled and looked nervous but nodded anyways. "Considering when you were born, how come you're circumcised? I thought that didn't become popular till much later."

He leaned back and let his booming laughter echo throughout the small clearing. "If you knew my parents you would understand," He saw my confused state and elaborated after clearing his throat. "My parents were Misophobics, they were terrified of germs. Doctors told them circumcision would lower the bacteria rate that causes infections. I was one of the first infants in Illinois to have the procedure done."

I nodded as I listened and mouthed 'oh' involuntarily. Edward noticed the minor movement of my mouth and he licked his lips. Guess it was safe to say I knew what was on his mind. I leaned in far enough to kiss him sweetly on the cheek, hoping my small bout of innocence would reignite his passions. Much to my dismay, my feminine wiles didn't work, maybe this was his revenge on me for being evasive so much today.

Edward pulled three more applications to colleges from his inside coat pocket and showed them to me. I noticed they were all high dollar colleges as well, go figure; I was to be a Cullen soon after all. I had already told him that University of Alaska had accepted me but he felt the need for me to apply to about fifty others it seemed.

"With all the murders going on in Seattle, you still want me to focus on college?" I asked irritatingly with a huff and arched my brow.

"Yes I do. It will help to get your mind off the situation," he stated flatly and started to flip through the applications sitting on the ground in front of me. I grumbled unhappily as I watched all the papers blur together. I had already seen too many applications for colleges I didn't even know existed.

"You know there are far better things to distract me than colleges?"

"Believe me, I know. But we're in our senior year and we need to be serious when deciding our future," I opened my mouth to respond but he cut me off. "And becoming a vampire and spending eternity with me doesn't count."

I glared at him, annoyed that he had called me on my response. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Nothing, but unfortunately I can't be the only thing that takes up your time," He smirked and continued to look at the college packets.

I fell backward onto the grass behind me and sighed. "And it sounded like such a good idea too." I heard Edward snickering quietly and it made me feel a little better.

We stayed in our meadow until it had been dark for several hours, going over colleges and reconnecting under the small waterfall. Then after our shower, we dressed while Edward kept groping me and then he ran us back to the Volvo.

We arrived home to find that my dad had already returned from the lake. The second I stepped foot through the doorway, I was mauled to the floor by a big ball of fur that started licking my face.

I assume that means Bella is home, Charlie though casually, completely unworried about Brontë's behavior.

"Yes dad I'm home and Edward is with me," I said gruffly as I fought to free myself from my puppy.

Despite her large size, she was still my baby. Brontë is still a puppy, only about five months old but she was already the size of a miniature horse*. It took her a little time but she had finally warmed up to Edward's presence. Now I saw them as the chaos duo; if one got in trouble for something it was usually the other's fault and they tried to blame it on the other. How a dog shifts blame, I don't know. Maybe it was because she was mine I could tell what her expressions meant.

With Edward's help, I managed to get the over ecstatic pooch pulled off me. If this is how Brontë is going to react to my absence after only ten hours, then does that mean she'll have to join us on our honeymoon as well? I seriously doubt that was going to happen! Edward wrestled to keep Brontë off me so I could get to my feet again.

The second I saw her large downcast ears and sad gold eyes, I lost it. I threw my arms around her furry neck and held her tightly. "Oh sweetie, I'll never leave you for so long again…"

"BELLA?" Edward shouted in shock at my statement.

"What? Do you blame me?" I held up her head up to face Edward. "Just look at that face. How can I say no to those golden eyes?" I blinked several times, stunned at the irony of my own words. Brontë's eyes weren't the only golden eyes I couldn't say no to and Edward knew that.

Edward stepped closely to me and bent down toward my face, locking his liquid gold eyes and my rapidly melting chocolate ones. One look and I was practically a puddle of goo. "So, you can't say no to golden eyes?"

His voice was low and seductive and I felt the juncture between my legs heat up and get moist. "Is that a rhetorical question? You already know the answer to that," I stated as calmly as I could then turned and headed for the stairs, Brontë trailing close at my heels.

On my way through the living room, I noticed Charlie was nearly asleep on the couch, a repeat of the last Mariners' game on the television. I continued up the stairs, not bothering to see if Edward was following me. I already knew he was.

The moment my feet hit the landing, I found myself hauled into my bedroom and thrown gently to the bed. Edward hovered above me, his eyes now the darkest shade of black I've seen today. Brontë suddenly growled from the side of my bed. Her ears laid flat against her head and her perfect white teeth showing in a snarl. If she hadn't made the situation embarrassing enough, Edward turned his head and growled back at her, which only succeeded in creating a growling war between canine and beast.

I rolled my eyes at the pair of them. Chaos Duo, how could I forget? I honestly think they enjoy themselves when they do this. I heard a chiming sound to my left and I turned to see what it was.

"Oh no! I was in such a hurry this morning I forgot to grab my phone," I quickly snatched the phone off my night side table and flipped it open. I was surprised to see I had only missed one call and it was from Jacob. He had obviously left me a voicemail, which is why it was alerting me to the unviewed call. I frantically pressed the buttons so I could hear what he had to say.

"Hey Bella, I'm a bit surprised I didn't get you but oh well. Um, I'm having a bit of a problem and I needed to vent a little steam…this will have to do…" his voice was hesitant and jittery; his tone bothered me and made my stomach twist. "Um, well I imprinted but something is wrong. She's being distant with me and she's acting like I didn't imprint. I don't know what to do," he then growled so loudly over the phone that I cringed and held the phone away from my ear. "How can it be plausible for me to imprint and she doesn't immediately reciprocate," he growled quieter this time then sighed. "She has the flu and I'm going over tomorrow to visit her…I'll let you know how it goes…"

"I knew he'd find someone…" I whispered to myself. I told him so, he just had to be patient and give it time. However, from what the Quileutes told me, when an imprint happens both sides feels the connection in less than a heartbeat. If Jacob had imprinted then she should have felt the pull also. Why didn't she?

"Bella?"

I slowly tilted my head up and stared at Edward, still in shock. "Jake imprinted but he's having problems. I'm just glad he found someone," I tossed my phone back onto the bedside table then wrapped my arms around Edward's neck, holding him tightly to me. I looked up into his smoldering topaz eyes and grinned sheepishly, "I love it when everyone can share in a love like ours." Stretching my neck upward, I planted my lips firmly on his. I love this feeling!

You and me both…

Chapter End Notes:

How bad was the first chapter? I hope that soon it will pick up; I mean we do still have Victoria and her army to deal with right.

There is a picture of Brontë on my profile. It's actually a picture of my dog Timber at 5 months old, so a miniature horse is about right.

Any guesses as to why Jacob's imprint isn't returning his feelings?